When a personal computer initially is turned on, a Basic Input/Output System ("BIOS") program is enabled. The BIOS program controls the keyboard, disk drives, and other devices. This program runs a process called Power On Self Test ("POST"). The POST program performs a diagnostic routine for the computer.
During this BIOS POST routine, a series of messages is displayed on a video screen. One such message is an instruction ("instructional message") to the user on how to access a BIOS setup program ("BIOS SETUP"). A BIOS SETUP is a computer program that allows a user to determine and, if the user so desires, to modify the system parameters. That is, through the BIOS SETUP program, the user may change the configuration of the computer.
Currently, when the video screen is full of messages generated during the BIOS POST process, the instructional message, which appears early in the BIOS POST process, is written over by other messages. This overwriting of the instructional message makes it wholly or partially unviewable and may prevent the user from knowing how to enter the BIOS SETUP program. Moreover, a partially overwritten, corrupted message is unsettling and may suggest to the user that there is a malfunction. Clearly, it would be desirable to preserve instructional messages on the display screen during the BIOS POST process or other messages of continuing interest.